→Coming Soon - NISE Network Annual Partner Survey 2014 Invitations!In a few weeks many of you may be receiving an invitation via email to participate in the NISE Net's online Annual Partner Survey. Your unique perspectives and input are vital in helping to assess and improve the experience of participating in NISE Net. To show our appreciation for your time, completion of the online survey will automatically qualify you to be entered in a drawing for one of several great prizes. Please see the 2014 Annual Partner Survey blog post for more information. Whether you completed last year's survey or this will be your first time, we want to hear from you, so please fill out the survey even if other people at your organization complete a survey.

→ASTC Annual ConferenceASTC is just around the corner and we're looking forward to another great conference and the opportunity to catch up with Network partners. The week is full of activities, and in particular, the NISE Network special evening reception on Friday, October 17th from 4pm-7pm at the Museum of Life and Science [RSVP here]. The reception is free to attend and transportation will be provided.

Additionally, the NISE Network is hosting its annual Partner Breakfast on Monday, October 20, 2014 from 7:30am-8:30am at the Raleigh Marriott City Center. Staff from NISE Network partner institutions are invited to learn about plans for the coming year and network with other partners from across the country.

→Online Brown-Bag Conversations

How to Host a National Chemistry Week EventWednesday, October 1, 2014: 3 pm - 4 pm ET
This Year's National Chemistry Week theme is "Sweet Side of Chemistry - Candy." Join us to learn NISE Net activities that have a candy connection (sweet!) some of the chemistry behind these activities, and how you can connect with American Chemistry Society members in your community. Perfect for Halloween activities! [Sign up now]

Sharing Resources for Engaging Diverse AudiencesThursday, October 9, 2014: 3 pm - 4 pm ET
This ASTC Connect webinar will help to identify resources that are available to professionals to reach traditionally underserved and under-represented audiences (particularly NISE Net resources). Topics will include universal design, bilingual program and exhibit development, and tips and tricks for engaging girls in STEM programming. [ASTC registration link]

Localizing Your NanoDays Kit: Adapting Kit Material for Local Culture and IndustryWednesday, October 15, 2014: 3 pm - 4 pm ET
Partners have adapted NanoDays activities in a variety of ways to extend and increase engagement and understanding of nano within their local community. This discussion will explore activities created for summer camps and school outreach, how kits have been used to help foster relationships with local industry, and explain how museums have made these efforts successful. [Sign up now]

Doctor Know Online Game and App for iOS and Android - Step into the future of medicine as a doctor in the know! "Doctor Know," developed by the Arizona Science Center, is intended to help teachers, students, and the public understand how biomedical innovations are transforming medicine. This online game and app complements lab experiences, theatrical demonstrations, outreach programs, biomedical lecture series, and online content. Download game through iTunes and Google Play now!

A Quick Primer on Nano-Related Traveling Exhibits - Is your institution looking to add to a copy of the NISE Network's Nano mini-exhibition or hoping to drive attendance with educational, innovative, hands-on temporary exhibitions about nano? See what's available from the NISE Network and how you can get your hands-on these great resources for your institution.

2014 National Chemistry Week - Themed the "Sweet Side of Chemistry - Candy," this year's American Chemistry Society (ACS) event will take place October 19 - 25, and is a great opportunity for Network partners to collaborate with local ACS chapters, businesses, schools, and scientists to organize events in your community to promote the value of chemistry in everyday life.

"The game, 'Doctor Know,' introduces the general public, students, and teachers to current biomedical research encouraged by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science's (NIH) Roadmap. In addition to basic medical research, it aims to highlight the processes and tools involved in current biomedical research, linking directly to Arizona's Science Standards. The project was funded by a National Institute of Health SEPA grant" (Arizona Science Center's "Aims of the Project and Results").

Doctor Know, the Arizona Science Center’s newest mobile game, opens with a vivid, yet darkly humorous, animation about the history of medical diagnosis and treatment. We watch the painful evolution of a "healers" practice from ancient Greece to Medieval times to modern medicine. It concludes by introducing your mission and the game’s scope of learning: you are a doctor and you will diagnose and treat many patients based on available tools and technology. The player learns about the human body’s interconnectedness in regards to health at multiple scales. From macro (organs and tissue), micro (cells), and nano (molecular), there are multiple levels at which our health can fail and be treated...Continue reading the full Partner Highlight to learn more about Arizona Science Center's new mobile game Doctor Know!

The Imaginarium Science Center in Fort Myers, Florida was awarded a 2014 NISE Net mini-grant and used the funding to expand and enhance their current nano exhibit, the Nano Lab. This expansion was designed to complement the NISE Net Nano mini-exhibition they received earlier this year and to incorporate additional NISE Net resources into a unique exhibit experience for their visitors.

"The mini-grant allowed us to dedicate exhibit space to an exciting and progressive topic. In the past two years, the number of visitors to our museum has increased significantly. The Nano Lab is one of the changes that we think has contributed to our recent successes." - Sarah Von Williamsen, project lead at the Imaginarium Science Center

The new and enhanced Nano Lab now has a clean room area, a portable cart loaded with NISE Net activities, recognizable purple and green walls representative of NISE Net’s color scheme, professionally framed signage and a selection of the Nano & Society posters. Sarah and her team have also installed an iPad loaded with the DIY Nano App giving their visitors additional opportunities to explore the many NISE Net activities, videos and more...Continue reading the full Partner Highlight on the Imaginarium Science Center to learn and see their Nano Lab in action!

→ The Shifting Roles of MuseumsIn the September 2014 issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology, Ai Lin Chun, Senior Editor, looks at public engagement in nanotechnology topics in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Chun argues museums have become an important venue for scientists and the public to have conversations about nanotechnology, concluding, "For anyone interested in science communication beyond the bench and the classroom, museums might be the place to be."

Do you have something you would like to submit for inclusion in the NISE Network Nano Bite monthly e-newsletter? Please send your announcements, articles, or community acknowledgements to Kayla Berry, NISE Net Coordinator, at kberry@mos.org.

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